Maria Vanderhoof Tucker 1807-1879

Research Question

Was Maria Tucker (1807-1879) a daughter of Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) and Ann Hopler (1772-1841)?

Published Book

In her book Vanderhoof (1991), Louisa Caroline Freeman Hickerson did not list Maria Vanderhoof, wife of Charles Tucker, as one of the children of Jacob and Ann. If she was born around 1807, there was room for this birth between John in 1804 and Charlotte in 1809.

Children of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler (with notation that any might be in error and some children may be omitted):

1. Peter (1797-1847) married Rachel Peer (1800-1850)

2. Elizabeth (1799-1878) married Stephen H Cook (1797-1853)

3. Mary (1801-1853) probably unmarried

4. Hyla (1803-1888) married William Cook (1801-18xx)

5. John (1804-1888) married Sarah Dobbin (1805-1876)

6. Charlotte (1809-1886) married Chilion Cook (1807-1888)

7. Samuel Saron (1811-????) married Eleanor Anderson (1815-????)

8. Richard Vanderhoof (1814-1892) married Eliza Cook (1810-1875) and Jane Tunis (1832-1919)

9. Conrad (1817-1874) married Mary Hopler (1823-1903)

Family Trees

Find A Grave and family trees posit Maria Vanderhoof as the wife of Charles Canfield Tucker (born about 1805). Imaged below is an example of one such tree.

Proposed daughters of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler
named Mary or Maria.
Example of online tree configuration of this family.

These trees do not attach or link to documentation on the parents of Maria/Mary Vanderhoof, wife of Charles Tucker.

Other Women Named Mary

A prior article discussed Mary Vanderhoof (1822-1861), wife of John K ODell (1824-1898). I determined that she was not a child of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler. A future article will discuss Mary Vanderhoof (1800-1853) and Mary VanFleet.

The Vanderhoof family includes multiple women named Mary or Maria in overlapping generations. This article focuses only on Maria Vanderhoof, wife of Charles Tucker, and does not assume that she is the same Mary Vanderhoof who died in 1853 or the Mary Vanderhoof who married a man named VanFleet.

Records of Mary or Maria Vanderhoof, Wife of Charles Tucker

New Jersey did not begin registration of births until 1848, well before Maria was born. A baptismal record would provide the name of her father and probably her mother, but this record has not been identified yet.

Marriage records of the 1820s were created by the religious officiant and filed with the County of Morris. Such records did not usually provide names of parents, but this would at least confirm that Charles Tucker married Maria Vanderhoof and not Maria with another surname. As of this writing, I have not found a marriage record in Morris County in the 1820s for Mary Vanderhoof and Charles Tucker.

Maria's first chronological appearance in a record was the 1850 federal census, the first to list all members of households.

Below are snapshots of Charles, Maria, and their children from the 1850 and 1870 census entries for Rockaway Township. She was 43 in 1850 and 63 in 1870, which is consistent with being born in 1807.

1850 census in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey.
Charles Tucker and Mary resided with seven children
ages 1 through 21.

1870 census in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey.
Charles C Tucker and Maria with Sarah J,
their youngest child.

Charles Tucker and Maria were last seen in the 1870 census. I have not found a record of the death of Charles. A gravestone has not surfaced.

Maria was buried at Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church Cemetery in Boonton. Many Vanderhoofs were laid to rest here. Maria's stone gives her date of death as September 13, 1879, age 72 years, 7 months, and 17 days. The calculated date of birth would be January 27, 1807. This date of death does not correspond with an entry in New Jersey's index of deaths. A death certificate would be another chance of seeing the names of her parents. Imaged below is Maria's memorial page on Find A Grave.

Memorial page at Find A Grave
for Maria Vanderhoof Tucker (1807-1879)

Maria Vanderhoof and Charles Tucker had at least eleven children from 1829 through 1851: Peter Vanderhoof, John, Elias, Mary Etta, George Allen, Charles, Marinda, Helen Elizabeth, Laura A, Agnes, and Sarah Jane. They probably had other children who died early.

To indirectly catch Maria's birth name, we can look at the marriage and death records of her children. I found only one record that identifies Maria, wife of Charles Tucker, as a Vanderhoof. Their son, Elias, died November 25, 1913 at the New Jersey State Hospital in Morris Plains. This is locally known as "Greystone" and still exists today for inpatient treatment of mental illness. The death certificate of Elias Tucker provides his mother's name as Maria Vanderhoof. Below is the image of Elias' death certificate.

Death certificate of Elias Tucker died November 25, 1913
in Morris Plains, Morris County, New Jersey 
(New Jersey State Hospital).
Father- Charles C Tucker. Mother- Maria Vanderhoof.
Death certificates are not online but can be ordered from the New Jersey State Archives
or copied in person.

Elias Tucker (1833-1913) was one of the older children of Maria and Charles. In 1860 he married Phebe Elizabeth Blanchard. He served in the Civil War.

Conclusions

None of these sources provide the parentage of Maria Vanderhoof. More information is needed to link Maria to any parents.

Deborah Vanderhoof Decker 1805-1832

Research Question

Was Deborah Vanderhoof (1805-1832) a daughter of Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) and Ann Hopler (1772-1841)?

Online family trees

Some trees posit Deborah as a child of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler.

One of the many trees at Ancestry listing children
of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler

Published book of Vanderhoof researcher

Louisa Caroline Freeman Hickerson mentioned Deborah Vanderhoof in her book, Vanderhoof, though not as a daughter of Jacob and Ann. Three Decker brothers married Vanderhoof women. Louisa did not determine the parentage of Deborah.

Page of Freeman's book about Decker and Vanderhoof marriages.
Housed at the Denville Historical Society

Marriage of Deborah Vanderhoof and John Decker, 1822

On March 19, 1822 Deborah Vanderhoof and John Decker were married by Pastor John Ford in Morris County, New Jersey. Marriages in Morris County can be found in books digitized at Family Search. The range of years is from the late 1700s through the late 1800s, including past 1848, when New Jersey required centralized recording of marriages.

"March 19 1822 John Decker, Stony Brook to
Deborah Vanderhoof of Rockaway Valley"

"March 19 1822 John Decker, Stony Brook to
Deborah Vanderhoof of Rockaway Valley"

The problem with these marriage records is that additional information is scarce. For example, ages of the parties and names of parents are often not given.

Burial and gravestone evidence

Deborah Vanderhoof and John Decker were buried at Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church Cemetery in Boonton, Morris County.

Gravestones in Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church Cemetery
visited on the cold day of November 11, 2025.
Deborah Vanderhoof died March 13, 1832 
John Decker died September 5, 1877
Rachel Jacobus died November 17, 1866

The date of death etched on Deborah's stone is March 13, 1832. I'm no expert on gravestones, but I do not think that her stone was created at the time of her death; therefore, it is prone to inaccuracies. Next to Deborah is her husband, John Decker (1800-1877). Next to John is his second wife, Rachel Jacobus (1796-1866).

Children of Deborah Vanderhoof and John Decker and problems with the timeline

Deborah and John had children. Names of the children can reveal names of grandparents. John Decker's parents were Andrew Decker and Elizabeth Dulhagle. The two oldest children were named Elizabeth and Andrew. It is possible that other children were born and named after Deborah's side of the family and that we do not know about these children because they died young or they married and moved away before the 1850 census.

--Elizabeth Decker (1822-1897) married Cyrus Dixon (1814-1868)

--Andrew Decker (1827-1906) married Martha Dixon (1830-1919)

--Sarah Louise Decker (1830-19xx) married William Kanouse (1823-1903)

--Catherine Amanda Decker (1835-1915) married Charles Augustus Kincaid (1832-1901).

The year of birth for the youngest child, Catherine, varies in records, but is usually in the early 1830s. The year of birth on her gravestone is 1835. So Catherine's mother, Deborah, died anytime after her birth until her father remarried before the 1850 census. There were no recordings of deaths to the county or State of New Jersey in the 1830s. Either Deborah did not die in 1832 or Catherine was not born in 1835, or Deborah was not her mother.

Conclusion

With the information so far gathered, the parentage of Deborah Vanderhoof remains a mystery. No direct evidence links Deborah to Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler. None of the known and speculated children of Jacob and Ann named a daughter Deborah. Online trees copy one another. Further evidence is required to link Deborah to any set of parents.

If you have probate, church, or family Bible records related to Morris County Vanderhoofs, I would welcome hearing from you.

Conrad Vanderhoof (1817-1874)

Conrad Vanderhoof (1817-1874) was maybe the final child of Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) and Elizabeth Hopler (1772-1841). Or at least the last of the children who lived into adulthood.

Conrad Vanderhoof married Mary Hopler in 1841 in Morris County, New Jersey. I suspect that they were first cousins once removed on their shared Hopler line.

Conrad H Vanderhoof and Mary Hopler married April 29, 1841 in Morris County, New Jersey.
Marriage record filed at the county level.
Images available at FamilySearch

Louisa Caroline Freeman Hickerson identified at least eleven children of Conrad and Mary born between 1842 and 1862: Ann Elizabeth, John, George, Peter, Mary, Sarah, Laura, Joseph, Ellen, Lemuel, and Frank.

Vanderhoof book by Louisa Caroline Freeman Hickerson
Excerpt of information about Conrad Vanderhoof (1817-1874)

Conrad supported his family through farming in Rockaway. Below is a snapshot of the family from the 1860 census.

1860 United States federal census. New Jersey, Morris County, Rockaway.
Household of Conrad Vanderhoof, age 41, farmer.

Conrad and Mary were buried at Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church Cemetery in Boonton. In the picture of their gravestone below, the stone of brother Richard Vanderhoof (1814-1892) is in the distant left.

Gravestone of Conrad Vanderhoof and Mary Hopler
Rockaway Valley United Methodist Church Cemetery
Boonton, Morris County, New Jersey

Conrad died January 1, 1874 in Denville. This event predates issuance of individual death certificates in New Jersey. The death was recorded in ledger format and is viewable at Ancestry. His parents were given as Jacob and Elizabeth Vanderhoof. Providing Elizabeth's surname would have been more compelling for placing Conrad among the children of Elizabeth Hopler.

Conrad Vanderhoof age 56 died January 1, 1874
in Denville, Morris County, New Jersey.
Parents- Jacob and Elizabeth Vanderhoof.
Occupation farmer. Cause of death erysipela.

Mary survived her husband just shy of thirty years. She died December 17, 1903 in Morristown, aged eighty. Her parents full names were provided: Conrad Hopler and Elizabeth Zeek.

Mary Hopler age 80 died December 17, 1903
in Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey.
Parents- Conrad Hopler and Elizabeth Zeek.
(Death certificates 1901 through the present are not online.
This document is from the Archives in Trenton.)

Jody Lutter

Peter Vanderhoof and Crimes in Wisconsin

An earlier article discussed Vanderhoof brothers John and Samuel, who relocated from New Jersey to Wisconsin in the mid 1800s.

As I searched the newspapers of Wisconsin for insight into their lives, many articles about another Vanderhoof appeared in the early 1880s.

Peter Vanderhoof and his family were arrested for stealing wheat and wrecking trains near Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1880. 

"Wheat Thieves"
Wisconsin, December 27, 1880

Peter Vanderhoof is not an unusual name. I have 46 men of this name in my tree as I write this. The natural question about this person is: Which Peter Vanderhoof is he?

Peter Vanderhoof did not act alone. This was a family criminal enterprise. His sons were named- Nelson and Norton. His sons-in-law were named- Henry Pearson and Frank Harper. Because of this, the correct Peter Vanderhoof was easily identified in the 1880 census in Greenbush, Wisconsin.

Household of Peter Vanderhoof and wife Mary [born Atkins]
1880 United States Federal Census, Greenbush, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

In this 1880 census, Peter was 48 years old, giving a year of birth around 1832 in New Jersey. His daughter, Caroline, age 20, was born in New Jersey, but his son, Nelson, age 18, was born in Wisconsin.

In 1860 in New Jersey, Peter is easily identified in Pequannock, Morris County, New Jersey because his children's names are unique among the Vanderhoofs: Willis, Araminta, and Norton. Elizabeth was a very popular given name.

Household of Peter Vanderhoof and Mary C
1860 United States Federal Census, Pequannock/Boonton, Morris County, New Jersey

Who were the parents of this Peter Vanderhoof? This was not an easy pursuit and I still may not have a definitive answer.

I expected Peter to be single for the 1850 census, maybe residing with his family of origin, and then married with baby Willis in the 1855 New Jersey state census.

A marriage in the early 1850s may have been recorded only in Morris County or filed with the State of New Jersey. I did not find a record in either collection for Peter Vanderhoof and Mary Catherine Atkins.

If we only view Morris County, there are a few men in the 1850 census who could be this Peter. Without a wife and without knowing the names of his parents, we would not know which Peter of Morris County in 1850 is the bandit Peter of Wisconsin.

On the 1855 state census, ages are not given. All individuals in households are named, except for the entries in Hanover. The household of Peter Vanderhoof contained two males and one female, which fits this Peter.

Household of Peter Vanderhoof
1855 New Jersey State Census, Hanover, Morris County.

We can rule out another contender, Peter Vanderhoof. He died a single man on August 8, 1884 in Montville, age 49 years, 8 months (born about 1830). He was the son of Aaron Vanderhoof and Rachel Doremus.

Death certificate of Peter Vanderhoff. Died August 8, 1884
in Montville, Morris County, New Jersey.
Parents- Aaron Vanderhoff and Racheal Vanderhoff.

A contender is Peter Vanderhoof, son of Jacob G Vanderhoof and Melinda Lozaw. He was born around 1834. He was last seen in the 1855 census with his parents and no wife or children. The profile of the criminal Peter Vanderhoof is that he was married with at least one child by 1855, so I do not think that this Peter, son of Jacob and Melinda, was the bandit Peter of Wisconsin.

Household of Jacob G Vanderhoof and wife Malinda
1855 New Jersey State Census, Hanover and Pequannock, Morris County

There is a memorial page on Find A Grave for Private Peter J Vanderhoof of Company C, 15 NJ Infantry. According to this page, he was the son of Jacob G Vanderhoof and Melinda Lozaw and died December 28, 1862 in White Oak, Stafford County, Virginia.

Find A Grave memorial page for Private Peter J Vanderhoof
died December 28, 1862 in White Oak, Stafford County, Virginia.
Civil War. Company C, 15 New Jersey Infantry.

I am in contact with the contributor and eagerly await documentation on this branch.

Family Trees

Family trees can yield clues to pursue for research. Family trees attribute the bandit Peter of Wisconsin to two different sets of parents.

One avenue is that Peter of Wisconsin was the son of Jacob Vanderhoof and Melinda Lozaw. I have not definitively found Jacob and Melinda's son after the 1855 census. I don't know what happened to Jacob and Melinda, either. Melinda Lozaw is often mixed up with Rachel Bush (1810-1864), wife of another Peter Vanderhoof (1809-1894).

Family tree proposing that Peter Vanderhoof (1831-1931)
was the son of Jacob G Vanderhoof and Melinda Rachel Lozaw

The other attribution for Peter's parents is that they were Peter Vanderhoof (1797-1847) and Rachel Peer (1800-1850). Peter and Rachel are buried at the DeMouth Burial Ground in Boonton, Morris County, New Jersey, close to Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) and Ann Hopler (1772-1841).

Family tree offering Peter Vanderhoof (1832-1931)
as the son of Peter Vanderhoof and Rachel Hyler Peer

In the 1850 census, there is a man named Peter Vanderhoof, age 18, living in the household of Rachel Vanderhoof, age 50, in Pequannock, Morris County, New Jersey. Note that the preceding household is Lozaw and a nearby household is Williams Adkins. The bandit Peter Vanderhoof married Mary Catherine Atkins, daughter of William. There is no Mary or Catherine in this household in 1850. Was this her father? We do not know as of this writing.

Household of Rachel Vanderhoof
1850 United States Federal Census, Pequannock, Morris County, New Jersey

In the meantime, I ordered the death certificate of Peter Vanderhoof for the year 1931 in Wisconsin.

What are the names of Peter's parents on his death certificate? Not what I expected.

Peter Vanderhoof died June 30, 1931
in Green Bay, Brown County, Wisconsin
Available through mail via the Wisconsin Vital Records Office

The parents were Peter Vanderhoof and Ann Miller of Pennsylvania? Who were they?

Parents of Peter Vanderhoof listed on his 1931 death certificate
Father- Peter Vanderhoof. Mother- Ann Miller.

The informant was Mrs Lona Herlik. She was a granddaughter of Peter Vanderhoof. She was born in 1890 in Antigo, Langlade County, Wisconsin to Nelson Vanderhoof (1862-1954). Lona's mother, Anna Kash, died soon after Lona's birth. Lona was raised by her paternal grandparents. Lona never met the great grandparents whose names and birthplaces she was asked to recite for the death certificate. As such, this information may not be accurate.

Peter's death in 1931 merited mention in the newspapers and provided his picture. His crime spree of the early 1880s was not mentioned.

Newspaper article announcing funeral of Peter Vanderhoof

Another article gave Peter's date of birth as November 20, 1832, which could be correct. But his place of birth was stated to be Rahway, New Jersey. This was another weird fact that is probably not true. I have not found any Vanderhoofs in this area of New Jersey in the 1830s. Rahway was in Essex County until Union County was formed in 1857.

Newspaper article announcing the death of Peter Vanderhoof
from heat, July 1, 1931

Another newspaper article may or may not help. Mrs Sarah Miller celebrated her 94th birthday in 1914 in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey. This article detailed her deceased spouse and living son, as well as her living siblings. Among them was Peter Vanderhoof, age ninety, of Spencer, Wisconsin. They were noted for their longevity and vast number of descendants.

"Woman Celebrates at 94; Has 112 Descendants Alive"
Mrs Sarah Miller of Caldwell, New Jersey

Sarah died December 6, 1914 in Caldwell. She was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery, also in Caldwell. Her death certificate listed her parents as Peter Vanderhoof and Rachel Peer.

Death certificate of Sarah Miller, died December 6, 1914
in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey.
Parents- Peter Vanderhoof and Rachel Peer.
Document available through the New Jersey State Archives.

Thanks to this article about Sarah's 94th birthday, we know that her brother, Peter Vanderhoof, moved to Wisconsin and had many descendants. The specifics are not accurate for the bandit Peter. He was about eighty in 1914, not ninety. He did not reside in Spencer, Wisconsin, but he did reside in Antigo and Green Bay, which were not very far.

Do all of these bits of information add up to the conclusion that the bandit Peter Vanderhoof of Wisconsin was the son of Peter Vanderhoof and Rachel Peer? I will still search for information.

Possible family tree of the bandit Peter Vanderhoof of Wisconsin

Note: "Pequannock" is the current spelling. The name of this New Jersey township was spelled many ways over the centuries. The borders also changed. I used the current spelling throughout this article for consistency. The website of the Pequannock Historical Society is linked here.

Murder of a Vanderhoof Cousin

While researching Vanderhoofs who relocated from New Jersey to Wisconsin, I encountered a sad case.

Sheri Lee Keller was murdered in 1980 when she was 17 years old. She was kidnapped while hitchhiking and then run over when she escaped. She died six weeks after this assault.

Newspaper article announcing the death of Sheri Keller, 1980 in Wisconsin

Thomas Glander was arrested for killing Sheri. He stood trial and was found not guilty in 1981.

Newspaper article announcing the not guilty verdict in the murder trial

In the 1850s some of the Morris County, New Jersey families relocated to Wisconsin. A few years earlier, in 1848, Wisconsin had become the 30th state.

Map of the United States of America early 1850s
Designated places: Morris County, New Jersey and
Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

At this time, I do not know why some Vanderhoofs made this trek. Modern-day roads offer this route at about one thousand miles. Traveling from New Jersey to Wisconsin in the 1850s must have been treacherous.

Twisted Lines

Sheri was a 5th cousin and a 6th cousin to my father. The common ancestors were Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) and Ann Hopler (1772-1841), as well as Ann's parents, Conrad Hopler (1730-1815) and Elizabeth DeMouth (1735-1812).

Sheri's great great grandparents were second cousins to each other. Conrad and Elizabeth had two daughters, Ann and Susan (1783-1863). Ann's grandson Peter (1827-1910) married Susan's granddaughter Susannah Shauger (1836-1913).

These relationships are confusing to spell out. Below is a diagram that should demonstrate the marriages and children.

Family tree
Ancestors of Sheri and writer's father: Hopler, DeMouth, Vanderhoof

Mary (1822-1861), Not a Daughter of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler

Beware of blindly accepting published family trees!

Jacob Vanderhoof (1772-1847) and Ann Hopler (1772-1841) lived and died in Morris County, New Jersey. This couple produced thousands of descendants, myself included. As a consequence, they are found in lots of online family trees. Vanderhoof and variant spellings were common in New York and New Jersey in the 1700s and 1800s, resulting in many different people having similar first and last names living within miles of one another. The few written records that survive lack details that would help distinguish one person from another of the same name.

The result is lots of trees that merge different people into one, or criss-cross the lines.

As of this writing, I have not sorted all of the men named Jacob Vanderhoof. I'll produce articles as I figure out children, record sets, or locations.

A tree appeared with Jacob, Ann, and sixteen children. I explored this tree because I was curious about the sources about their daughter, Elizabeth (1799-1878). The picture for Elizabeth is that of a young woman. Elizabeth was well-past her youth when cameras and photographs were invented, so this cannot be her.

Tree of Jacob Vanderhoof, Ann Elizabeth Hopler, and sixteen children

I looked at the youngest offered child, Mary, born in 1822, when her mother was fifty. The only source is another family tree. This will not suffice.

Source for the life of Mary Vanderhoof is another tree

In 1848, Mary Vanderhoof and J K Odell married in Sussex County, New Jersey. This was just before state-wide registry was required; however, the event was recorded at the county level and can be viewed online. From this record we see that the bride was described as "of Wantage." This is in Sussex County, about thirty miles northwest of Rockaway Valley in Morris County, where Jacob Vanderhoof and and Ann Hopler had resided before their deaths.

March 30, 1848. Mr J K Odell of Hardiston to Miss Mary Vanderhoof of Wantage.
Sussex County, New Jersey Marriages 1828-1853

On October 30, 1861 Mary Odel died in Vernon, Sussex County. This record is also available online. State-wide registration was in the form of ledger books at this time. The cause of death was consumption, or tuberculosis. Her parents were Jacob and Elizabeth Vanderhoof.

Mary Odell has a memorial page at Find A Grave, along with a photograph of the stone. She was buried at Deckertown Union Cemetery in Wantage.

Mary Vanderhuff Odell (1823-1861)
Memorial page at Find A Grave

The above-mentioned sources don't help us definitively rule Mary in or out as a daughter of Jacob Vanderhoof and Ann Hopler. Without visiting this cemetery in person, we can check for other Vanderhoofs buried there.

We find Jacob A Vanderhuff (1791-1870) and Elizabeth Swan (1793-1870) listed in the same cemetery as Mary. They seem more likely to be her parents. (Yes, Mary is listed as their daughter at Find A Grave. This is because I requested this change after finding and reviewing documents.)

Jacob A Vanderhuff (1791-1870)
Memorial page at Find A Grave

Elizabeth Swan Vanderhuff (1793-1870)
Memorial page at Find A Grave

The will of Jacob A Vanderhuff is viewable online. He left his estate to his living children and to three of his grandchildren, "children of John K Odell and my daughter Mary, now deceased."

Will of Jacob A Vanderhuff of Vernon, Sussex County, New Jersey.
Proved August 17, 1870.

This helps chip away at one bit of inaccuracy in the Vanderhoof tree. More to come.